Feed-water heater



(No Model.)

H. WILSON.

FEED WATER HEATER.

No. 354,368. Patented Dec. 14, 1886.

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ient, and sometimes impossible, as when the UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY \VILSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

'FEED-WATER HEATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 354,368, dated December 14, 1886.

Applieftion filed April 3, 1886. Serial No. 197, 21.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, HARRY WILSON, of Philadelphia, Philadelphia county, State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Feed-\Vater Heaters; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to the class of feed water heaters for steam-boilers, especially for those upon steamers,where superheated steam is used; and myinvention consists,essentially, in a suitable feedwater heater connected directly with the steam -drum of the boiler, whereby it may receive live steam, by which the water is raised to a much higher temperature than could be attained with exhauststeam.

It consists, particularly, in the cylinder, its heads, tube'sheets, and tubes, its air-pipe and controlling-valves, and its drain and control ling cock and indicator, hereinafter fully dc scribed, together with details of construction.

Feed-water heaters have heretofore been supplied with exhaust-steam. This steam does not raise the temperature of the water sufficiently, and its use is frequently inconvenengine is stopped.

The main object of my invention is to supply the feed-water heater with live steam, whereby the water is heated more effectively; and to this end I make a heater which can be connected directlywith the steam-drum of the boiler, and can be so adjusted and regulated that all the objections to such a source of heat are avoided.

Referring to the accompanying drawings'for a more complete explanation of my invention, Figure 1 is an elevation of my feed-water heater. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the main cylinder. Fig. 3 is a detail section showing the means by which the tubes are secured in the tube-sheets.

A is the main cylinder, having bolted to it heads a, with which communicate the inletpipe a and the discharge pipe or outlet at. Within the cylinder, at each end, and bolted between the flanges of the heads and the ends of the cylinder, are brass tube-sheets B, into which are let the longitudinal tubes 1). These tubes are secured in the sheets in the manner (No model.)

shown in Fig. 3. They pass through an aperture in the sheet and receive an encircling screw-gland, b,between theinner end of which and the tubesheet is a packing, If. The outer end of the screw-gland is provided with an indicating the amount of drainwater within the cylinder. The drain cylinder is connected by pipe Q with the condenser or hot-well.

E is an air-relieving pipe from either head of the cylinder, preferably theinlet-head. An automatic float'actuated valve, e, controls the air-pipe.

F is a thermometer on the discharge-head of said cylinder.

The heater is intended to be situated between the feed-pumps and the boiler. Consequently, the pressure of steam and water being equal, there is no unequal strain,whereby leaks might be caused.

The operation of the heater is as follows: The condensed water derived from the exhaust-steam is forced by suitable pumps (not .shown) into the inlet a, where, finding space in the inlet-head, it spreads out and passes in streams through the tubes within the cylinder. Live steam is taken directly from the steam drum of the boiler and introduced through the valved port 0 into the cylinder, in which it completely surrounds the tubes, and thereby raises the degree of temperature of the feed-water as it passes through said tubes, so that when it comes out at the dischargehead its temperature is sufficiently high to admit it at once to the boilers. The condensation of the steam within the cylinder passes out into the drain-cylinder D,and the amount, as before stated, is indicated in the gage-glass d so that a certain depth of watermay be keptin the drain-cylinder to prevent. the live cylinder into the condenser or hot-well. The valved outlet oft-he drain-cylinder is kept partially open, and is regulated according to the condensation, so that a suflicient quantity of water may be kept in the cylinder. There is always more or less air taken in by the pumps, and which accompanies the water into the cylinder; but instead of entering the tubes this air passes out directly from the entrance-head into pipe E and blows off through valve 6, which closes again as the water rises. In this way the accumulation of air in the heater is avoided. The heater may be placed in either a vertical or a horizontal position, as may be required. By increasing the temperature of the feed-water, which results from the use of live steam, undue expansion in the boilers is prevented and the consequent leaks in the seams and rivets are avoided. The steam being generated in the boiler at a temperature corresponding to the pressure,it passes through a suitable super-heater, acquiring a much greater degree of heat, and the heat thus obtained is given to the feedwater, the temperature of which is increased in a much greater proportion than could otherwise be obtained, and consequently, less heat being required to generate steam, there is a saving of fuel.

Having thus described myinvention, whatI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with afeed-water heater,

the air-relieving pipe connected with the head of the heater and controlled by an automatic valve, substantially as herein described.

2. In a feed-water heater, the cylinder A, having heads a, with which the inlet and outlet pipes communicate, the tube-sheets B, and tubes 12 in combination with the air-relieving pipe E from the head a, and the valve controlling said pipe, substantially as herein described.

3. In a feedwater heater the cylinder A, supplied with live steam from the boiler, and the tubes 1) in the cylinder, in combination with the drain-cylinder D, connected with the cylinder A, and the valved outlet d from said drain cylinder, substantially as herein described.

4. A feed-water heater comprising the cylinder A, having heads a, tube-sheets B, and tubes 1), said cylinder being suppliedwith live steam from the boiler, the air-relieving pipe E, and the drain-cylinder D, having valved outlet d, and a gage-glass, d, all arranged and y adapted to operate substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

HARRY VILSON.

\Vi tnesses:

S. H. NOURSE, H. G. LEE. 

